CSX’s Adkins wins AAR Environmental Excellence Award

The Association of American Railroads has awarded its highest honor for environmental professionals, the 2013 North American Environmental Employee Excellence Award, to CSX Manager of Environmental Remediation Matthew Adkins.

Adkins was one of seven industry professionals nominated for this annual award, and is the sixth CSX employee to win in the past 12 years.

Adkins is a longtime CSX employee who began his career as an environmental specialist in Corbin, Ky., in 1996. He recently led a team that successfully remediated the former Gautier Oil creosote treatment plant in Gautier, Miss., spending nine years investigating, designing, and executing a plan to restore and enhance the 24-acre coastal site. Now part of a conservation easement, the site was granted Wildlife at Work certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council.

“Adkins is a strong proponent of continuing education opportunities and uses his time and talent to develop training courses and materials for CSX employees and other industry professionals,” CSX said in announcing the award. “He was instrumental in the creation of the Direct to Locomotive Fuel Vendor Review protocol, which he continues to manage across the CSX network. This successful program evaluates vendor work performance and provides a means for additional training and constructive feedback.”

Adkins is the second CSX employee to be recognized with an industry environmental award this year. In May, the AAR named Rick McNey, CSX manager of maintenance for the Curtis Bay Pier in Baltimore, winner of the 2013 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award for his commitment to environmental stewardship.

“Matt is an exemplary steward of CSX’s environmental efforts who has successfully managed a number of complex remediation projects, demonstrating strong leadership, creativity, and superior project management skills,” said CSX Vice President-Public Safety, Health and Environment Skip Elliott. “Across projects, he consistently engages stakeholders, including local leaders and community organizations, to generate the best possible results for everyone involved.”